Shrouded Seascape

Chapter 524. Return

Amidst the thick gunsmoke and sea of blood, the Old Sign that made one feel extremely uncomfortable just by glancing at it was summoned once again. This time, the Fhtagnists didn't play any tricks.

The First Mate Bandages, Sailor Norton, Third Engineer Audric, Boatswain Dipp, Cook Planck, Doctor Linda, and every single mad crew member of the Narwhale were escorted to the deck.

The eleven octopus heads cast cold gazes upon them before raising their tentacles before the Old Sign and began chanting an inscrutable incantation.

The incantation no longer contained Charles' true name and was replaced by the names of the Narwhale's crew members.

"I-I'm not Bandages! I'm not Bandages!! Let me go!!" The tightly bound Ernst struggled incessantly. He seemed to have an idea of what the people around him were doing, and his eyes became filled with despair. He truly didn't want to die.

"My son, daughter, and my wife Ginny! They're all waiting for me to return to Frost Island! Charles, I beg you! I don't want to die! I really don't want to disappear!" Ernst roared.

Charles had just recovered some of his strength, but he rushed over to Ernst, dislocating the latter's jaw in spite of the latter's despair-filled eyes staring at him.

Ernst could no longer close his mouth, so his saliva dripped slowly to the ground. He couldn't speak. He could only squirm on the ground in despair, and his saliva left a long trail on the ground.

Soon, a black light burst out of the Old Sign and swept across the crew members.

The crew's bizarre behavior ceased at once, and lucidity gradually returned to their eyes. Bandages stopped wailing, and he looked around in a daze.

The blind vampire Audric wearing his signature black rubber suit was the first one to move among the crew. His expression quickly changed into that of extreme anxiety as he rushed to Linda's side and helped her up carefully.

Charles failed to hold in his emotions at the exciting sight. He rushed over to his crew and embraced them. His comrades, whom he long thought of as his family members, had returned—they'd returned!

Charles checked in on them one by one to ensure that there wasn't anything abnormal with them. Soon, Charles' heart sank as he stood before Tobba. The latter's empty gaze meant that even the Old Sign couldn't cure Tobba.

Charles immediately looked up to question the octopus heads, but they all had stern expressions in response to his question. Tobba's issue was obviously more complex—no, Tobba's issue wasn't caused by God Fhtagn's divine might.

Unfortunately, the Old Sign's rules meant that one could only wish for one thing every time it was summoned.

So the root of Tobba's issue is indeed different from the root of the crew's madness. I guess I'll have to find another way to heal him. Charles thought to himself.

"Governor Charles, we've done our end of the deal. It's time for you to keep your word," Octett said coldly.

Charles pondered for a moment and looked down at Lily trembling in his pocket.

"I have a question: can the Old Sign turn a mouse into a human?"

"No! Perhaps it can do that for a different mouse, but your mouse has the aura of the Light God; your mouse can be said to be the miniature version of the Light God. Unfortunately, the Old Sign is useless on Divinities."

"The Light God?" Charles' gaze turned to that of surprise as he stared at his trembling pocket. Had the Light God left a portion of His power in her when He resurrected her? Have I misunderstood the Light God and the truth is that He's always been kind? But why? Why would the Light God do something like that?

Octett glanced at the distant skeletal fleet, and he sounded a bit anxious as he urged, "Charles! It's time for you to fulfill your word! I hope you haven't forgotten, but we still have control over your body. Don't you dare try to play any tricks!"

Charles emptied his mind and put aside this question and slowly began to speak to the octopus heads floating before him.

"All right, head in the direction I had told you before, and you'll eventually find a deep depression in the seafloor called the Dark Abyssal Trench. Send people down into that trench and keep diving until you find a city..."

Charles purposely did not mention that there was a Divinity residing in the extremely bizarre city at the bottom of the trench. It'd be great if the Fhtagnists ended up running into that Divinity.

Charles also refrained from divulging God Fhtagn's exact location. They only told them that He was beneath the city, and he also did not tell them how to remove the seal on God Fhtagn.

The Fhtagnists also learned about what the Pope had done and how the "death light" came about.

Upon learning about God Fhtagn's specific location and the Light God's death, Octett and the other octopus heads became extremely agitated. Some of the Deep Dweller Elders floated over to them, and they soon engaged in an intense discussion.

Clearly, the information Charles had told them was of great significance to them.

"Relinquish control over Charles' body!" Anna roared, threatening the octopus heads. She crawled to the front of the deck and pointed her squirming tentacles at the octopus heads.

Fortunately, Octett didn't go back on his word.

Anna checked repeatedly, making sure that the Old Sign's rules on Charles's body had disappeared completely. Once Anna was done checking, Charles immediately gave the order to retreat and leave the dangerous Divinity's Land.

The Hope Island Navy retreated in an orderly manner, allowing both sides to breathe a sigh of relief at the same time. The journey had been complicated and dangerous, but both sides still ended up achieving their goals.

Charles had managed to cure his crew of their madness, while the Fhtagn Covenant obtained God Fhtagn's location.

Meanwhile, the bewildered crew members turned to Charles, asking the latter a barrage of questions. How did they suddenly appear here when they were at the bottom of the Dark Abyssal Trench just a second ago?

Charles smiled and recounted everything that had transpired over the past few months. Soon, a turtleshell ship approached them; it seemed that the Haikor Tribe's envoy was on the ship.

A three-meter-tall poked his head out of the turtle shell and turned to Charles before asking, "Governor Charles, why the sudden ceasefire? We've come here to assist you and annihilate the Fhtagn Covenant in one fell swoop."

Judging from the vivid color of the Haikor's robes, Charles deduced that he had to be a religious figure of the Haikor Tribe. In fact, Charles had definitely seen him before.

Charles sneered in his heart. If someone had a penchant for doing the opposite of their words, then one had to look at what the former would do rather than what they had said.

These Haikors had obviously not come here just to "help."

"I appreciate it, but there's no need to trouble yourselves. My matters with the Fhtagn Covenant have come to an end for the time being," Charles said in a business-like tone of voice. Then, he turned around and walked toward his crew without waiting for the Haikor's reply.

Soon, he disappeared into the cabin along with his crew.

The Haikor didn't do anything out of the ordinary. He smiled and watched as the ships of Hope Island's Navy passed by him one by one. Once Hope Island's fleet was far enough from him, he walked into his ship's cabin. Then, the turtleshell ship turned around slowly before heading toward the Divinity's Land.

Meanwhile, the Fhtagn Covenant was busy cleaning the battlefield, and they were akin to a hyena licking its wounds. Upon noticing the approach of a turtleshell ship, an octopus head moved and appeared before the turtleshell ship.

The octopus head stood on the water's surface, blocking the turtleshell ship's path.

The three-meter-tall giant stared at the octopus head. A tinge of regret flashed briefly on his face as he said, "Ah, what a pity. We actually came here to help you, but we didn't expect you two to stop fighting before we could lend a hand."

The octopus head glared coldly at the three-meter-tall giant. Obviously, he had no trust in the Haikor Tribe. "Did your gods tell you to come here? Does the 'death light' not affect the Southern Seas at all? How come you still have time to meddle in our affairs here?"

"We've always been lucky. The mist in the Sea of Mist has blocked the Light God's divine light, so we haven't suffered any losses at all. Are you interested in joining us to deal with Hope Island's governor? There's still enough time for us to move."

The octopus head immediately refused the three-meter-tall giant's proposal, replying, "Tell your gods that they have no right to intervene in the affairs of the Fhtagn Covenant!"